55. And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, signifies manifest perception of Divine truth about to be revealed from heaven. This is evident from the signification of "hearing," as being to perceive and obey (See Arcana Coelestia 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397); and from the signification of "behind me," as being manifestly (of which hereafter); and from the signification of "voice," when heard out of heaven, as being Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 219-220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914); and from the signification of a "trumpet," as being truth to be revealed out of heaven (of which hereafter). "Behind me" signifies manifestly, because the things that flow in from heaven into man's affection flow in into the occipital region, and come thus into his manifest perception; for whatever enters into affection is manifestly perceived, for the whole life of perception is from affection; but whatever flows out of heaven immediately into the thought flows into the region above the forehead. (Concerning this influx, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 251.) From this it is clear what is signified by John's having heard "behind him," and by his afterwards "having turned to see the voice which spoke with him." A "trumpet" or "horn" signifies Divine truth about to be revealed out of heaven, because sometimes Divine truth is heard in this way when it flows down from the Lord through the heavens with man; for it is increased in coming down; and it thus flows in. But it is thus heard only in the beginning with those through whom Divine truth is to be revealed in the ultimate sense, which is representative of interior things. But afterwards it is heard as a human voice. From this it is evident why "the voice of a trumpet" or "horn" signifies Divine truth about to be revealed out of heaven.

[2] He who is aware that "trumpet" or "horn," signifies Divine truth out of heaven can understand many passages in the Word where these are mentioned. As in Matthew:

He shall send forth His angel, with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds (Matthew 24:31).

In Isaiah:

All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when the sign of the mountains shall be lifted up, see ye; and when the trumpet is blown, hear ye (Isaiah 18:3).

In Jeremiah:

Proclaim with the trumpet in the land. Set up a standard towards Zion. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people are foolish, they are sottish sons, and they have no understanding (Jeremiah 4:5-6, 21-22).

In the same:

I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations (Jeremiah 6:17-18).

In Ezekiel:

He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning he should have delivered his soul (Ezekiel 33:5).

In Hosea:

[Set] the trumpet to thy mouth, because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed against My law (Hosea 8:1).

In Zechariah:

The Lord Jehovih shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south (Zechariah 9:14).

In David:

God is gone up with a shout, and Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet (Psalms 47:5).

And also in Revelation (chap. Revelation 4:1; 8:2, 7-8, 13; 9:1, 13, 14; 10:7; 18:22). Because a "trumpet" signified Divine truth, therefore when Divine truth was first about to be revealed before the people of Israel:

Sounds of a trumpet were heard from Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16).

For this reason sounding the trumpet became representative with them:

When they were to assemble, and when they went forward, and also in their solemnities, at the beginnings of months, at burnt-offerings and eucharistic sacrifices (Numbers 10:1-10).

They also sounded trumpets when they went forth to battle against the Midianites (Numbers 31:6).

And when they took the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:4-20);

for wars and battles signified spiritual combats, which are combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth.

8990. 'And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl' means a representative sign of obedience. This is clear from the meaning of 'ear' as obedience, dealt with in 2542, 3869, 4551, 4652-4660; and from the meaning of 'piercing it with an awl' - that is to say, onto the door or onto the doorpost - as affixing, or at this point pledging forever, since it refers to obedience; and this is why the words follow, 'he shall serve him forever', that is, be obedient to him forever. From this it is evident that his master's piercing his ear with an awl, fixing it to the door or to the doorpost, is representative of obedience.

[2] The implications of all this may become clear from matters stated previously, where it has been shown that those imbued solely with truths and not with complementary good, that is, with faith and not with charity, are not free but slaves. Those whose actions spring from good or charity are free. They act from themselves; for actions that spring from good or charity spring from the heart, that is, from the will, and so from what is a person's own, since what exists in a person's will is his own and a deed springing from the will is said to go out of the heart. But those who are imbued solely with the truths of faith and not with the good of charity are slaves in comparison. They do not act from themselves since they have no good within themselves for actions to spring from; instead good is outside them, and they base their actions on it as often as they call it to mind. Those who stay like this through to the end of their lives remain permanently in this state after death. They cannot be brought to a state in which their actions spring from charitable affection, that is, from good; they can act only in obedience. In the Grand Man, which is heaven, they constitute those parts that serve more internal ones, like membranes and skins, 8977, 8980.

[3] All this shows what the situation is with faith alone, that is, with those who doctrinally place faith first and the good of charity second, indeed last. Those who place them in this order in the actual lives they lead are 'Hebrew slaves' in the representative sense; but those who place charity first, in the actual lives they lead, are free or 'the children of Israel' in the representative sense. From all this one may also conclude what the situation is with those who make salvation rest entirely on the truths of faith and not at all on the good of charity, that is to say, not at all on the actual life they lead. One may conclude that they cannot enter heaven; for good reigns in heaven, not truth without good, and truth is not truth, nor is faith faith, except with those imbued with good

[4] That his master's piercing his ear with an awl, fixing it to the door, is representative of obedience is also evident from the consideration that fixing his ear to the door means causing him to attend to the things commanded by his master who is in the room, that is, to hear him at all times and obey his instructions. At this point the things which good wills and commands are meant in the spiritual sense, for spiritual good is represented by the slave's master, 8981, 8986. Since 'the ear' means the hearing of obedience, there flows into human speech from an origin in the spiritual world the expression to tweak the ear, which stands for causing a person to pay attention and remember, and in like manner the expressions to hear and to hearken to someone, which stands for obeying him. For the inner meaning that very many words possess has sprung from correspondences from the spiritual world, as with expressions such as spiritual light and being enlightened by it which people use when speaking about matters of faith, and also spiritual fire and being animated by it when speaking about matters of love.

[5] The reason why piercing the ear was done with an awl was that 'an awl' has the same meaning as a pin or peg, namely affixing and joining onto, and in the spiritual sense pledging something. But an awl was a tool used by a servant, and therefore it served to represent the pledge of everlasting obedience by a slave. The meaning of 'a pin' or 'a peg' as affixing and joining onto is clear from the places where this object is mentioned, as in Isaiah 22:23; 33:20; 41:7; 54:2; Jeremiah 10:4; Exodus 27:19; 38:31; Numbers 3:37; 4:32.